


tsukimi

by alessandriana



Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alessandriana/pseuds/alessandriana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rowen is possessed by a fleeing spirit, he and Ryo must travel to the Nether World to exorcise it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tsukimi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [karrenia_rune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrenia_rune/gifts).



It was a clear night, perfect for stargazing-- or moongazing in this particular case-- and the oppressive humid heat of the day had faded to a steady, gentle warmth. Rowen was on the balcony of Mia's house, making some final adjustments to his telescope, when one of the windows opened and Ryo crawled out, twisting to shut it behind him. He stood, shaking his hair out of his eyes. Rowen kept his eye to his viewfinder, making sure he’d positioned it correctly, but he waved a distracted hand over his shoulder in greeting.

Rowen fiddled with the focus knob, and soon enough the moon sprang into sharp relief against the blue-black background of the sky. He attached the camera to the mount and took a couple of test photos to make sure it was working, shutter clicking loud in the silence. Only once everything was perfect did he pull back, sighing and rubbing at his lower back, which was starting to ache from being hunched over for so long. He'd have to adjust the telescope again in a few minutes as the moon rose, but for now he was set.

Ryo was leaning against the railing, staring out at the lake glittering silver in the darkness. Rowen crossed over to join him, propping his arms on the cool metal. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked. It was two o'clock in the morning, and if it hadn't been for the eclipse even Rowen, an inveterate night owl, would normally be going to bed about now. Ryo, who was more of the early to bed early to rise type, hit the sack around nine.

Ryo shrugged, an all-purpose gesture he used when he didn’t want to talk about something. Rowen took it to mean 'yes'. His expression was pensive, and there were the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes. Bad dreams, maybe. They all got them, Ryo probably the worst. 

"Well, you're in luck then," Rowen said. "There's a lunar eclipse starting in a couple minutes. Should be a good show."

Ryo turned to face Rowen, draping his elbows over the railing. "Yeah? Is that why the set up?" He nodded at the telescope.

Rowen grinned, warming to his subject. "Yep. It's brand new, I just got it a few weeks ago. Had to import it from America. It's a Celestron C8, an 8-inch f/10 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope--" He stopped himself as Ryo’s eyes started to glaze over, laughing a little self-consciously. “It gets really clear images for a small telescope,” he translated. 

"Cool," Ryo said, once Rowen had stopped talking. He smiled a little. “So if this is a moon-viewing party, shouldn’t there be tsukimi dango and sake or something?”

“Er… there’s water in the kitchen?” Rowen offered. “We can put it in Mia’s sake set, it’ll look the same, anyways.”

Ryo laughed. “Pass, thanks.” He nodded at Rowen’s telescope. "You can take pictures with it, too?"

"Yeah, it doesn't come with a camera but I jury rigged a camera mount to attach mine." He glanced up at the sky, where there was a tiny sliver of black beginning to show on one edge of the moon. "Oh, hey-- look. The eclipse is starting."

Rowen went back to the telescope and adjusted it some, so the moon was centered in the frame. As he had his eye pressed to the eyepiece, he asked, "Want to talk about whatever's bothering you? Bad dreams?"

He couldn't see Ryo, but he could hear him shifting. Running a hand through his hair, probably, embarrassed that Rowen was making him talk about it. Eventually Ryo said, "Not-- quite?" He sighed. "I've just been feeling antsy the last couple of days. Can't sleep. I keep expecting something bad to happen, but I don't know _what_."

Rowen hummed, snapping a picture. "Something bad like the Dynasty, or just something bad in general?" he asked, turning his head to glance at Ryo out of the corner of his eye. With them, it was a legitimate question. Talpa might be gone, finally, but there was no guarantee that the Dynasty didn't have more weirdness to offer up. Sage had always been the most sensitive of them to that sort of thing, but Ryo was a close second. Rowen hadn't felt anything, but that was pretty normal. He was about as perceptive as a box of rocks.

Ryo hesitated. "I'm not sure," he said finally. He glanced up at the moon, seemed about to say something, then changed his mind. "Could just be my imagination, though. I'm not used to it being so quiet around here."

Rowen laughed. Kento, Cye and Sage had gone-- or rather, been dragged by Kento-- to Yokohama to help out with the summer rush at Kento's family's restaurant. Rowen had only gotten out of it because he was taking summer classes to prep for college entrance exams; they were still a year away, but you could never be too ready. And Ryo-- well, Rowen wasn't entirely sure how Ryo'd gotten out of it, just that he had. It was probably a good thing. He tended to do best in small groups; having to deal with Kento's huge family might have sent him over the edge. "Think they've killed each other yet?" he asked.

Ryo's eyes crinkled around the corners. "No, but I think Mama Fang might, if they don't stop fighting over who has to do chores."

"It's too bad Cye's powers don't extend to doing the dishes," Rowen said, enjoying the way Ryo threw his head back when he laughed.

He bent back to his equipment, and they fell into a companionable silence for a while; Rowen watching the eclipse through his telescope as it tracked across the sky, and Ryo mostly watching the forest around them. Soon enough the eclipse began to pass through totality. He got plenty of good shots of the red glow across the face of the moon, and only stopped when he reached the end of his roll of film. Leaning back with a satisfied sigh, for the first time since the eclipse had started he looked at the moon itself without the barrier of the telescope between them.

A sudden electric shock jolted down his spine, a deep chill suffusing his bones. He took a sharp breath, rocking back a step. What the hell? He looked wildly over at Ryo, but Ryo was still staring pensively out into the forest, and didn't seem to have noticed whatever had just happened.

"Did you feel that?" he asked sharply.

"Feel what?" Ryo asked, glancing over. His eyebrows drew down when he got a good look at Rowen. Rowen realized he had his arms crossed across his chest, and he was shivering slightly, even though he knew the night was still warm. Grimacing, he forced himself to relax. If Ryo hadn't felt it, that meant it couldn't have been Dynasty. And if it wasn't Dynasty, then it probably wasn't anything to worry about.

"Nothing. I guess it was just my imagination, sorry," he said. Cautiously, he glanced back up at the eclipse, but the sensation didn't repeat itself. And he was starting to feel better, actually; the warmth of the night seeping back into his bones, the constant buzz of the cicadas steadying him. Whatever had happened, it was fading.

Ryo frowned. "Are you sure?"

Rowen flashed a slightly unsteady grin. "Yeah. It was nothing bad, I just felt kind of dizzy for a second. Hey, I'm pretty tired though-- I'm gonna head to bed, alright?" Recalling the reason Ryo had come out, he asked, "You gonna be okay?"  

"Yeah." Ryo nodded. "Think I'll stay out a little longer." But the frown stayed on his lips as Rowen packed up his equipment, and his gaze followed Rowen all the way back into the house.

 

***

 

Rowen woke up late the next morning to the sensation of something sniffing his face. When he opened his eyes, he was treated to the sight of a mouthful of fangs not six inches away. "Gah!" he yelped, startled, and scrambled backwards on his bed, before realizing it was only White Blaze. "Stupid tiger," he said, breathing hard and clutching at his chest. That was _not_ the kind of wake up call he preferred.

White Blaze just settled back on his haunches and yawned.

"Get tired of bothering Ryo?" Rowen asked the tiger, sliding out of bed. He was moving slow, now that the adrenaline rush had faded; he felt aching and tired, despite the fact that he'd slept for... he checked the clock; nearly ten hours. Maybe he was getting sick. That could explain why he'd felt so cold last night. Chills were a sign of the flu, weren't they?

White Blaze blew out a warm, tiger-scented breath in response. Rowen smiled a little, and went to take a shower. His classes started at one, and he didn't want to miss them, even if he was getting sick.

Six hours later he was regretting that decision. He leaned heavily against the brick wall outside the prep school, shivering despite the warm evening air. He'd spent the day gradually getting worse, feeling his energy drain away like water down a sink, barely able to concentrate on the teacher even though it was math and he loved math. He'd managed when all he'd had to do was sit at his desk, but now it was four city blocks to the bus stop that would take him back to Mia's house, and he wasn't sure he was going to make it that far. There-- across the street, a pay phone. Maybe Mia could give him a ride.

He waited for a break in traffic before shuffling across the street. The door of the phone booth closed behind him and he sank down onto the seat. After some searching he found a ten yen coin tucked away in the bottom of his schoolbag. He tangled the cord between his fingers and listened to the phone ring once, twice.

On the third ring, Ryo picked up. "Yeah?"

Despite himself, Rowen huffed a laugh. Ryo had grown up pretty isolated, and though he seemed pretty well-adjusted most of the time, sometimes it came across in the little things. Like how to properly answer the phone. "Hey, Ryo, it's me."

"Rowen." Ryo's voice was instantly concerned. "What's the matter?"

Rowen would have been offended by the assumption, but Ryo wasn't wrong. He leaned a little more into the side of the booth, tucking the phone securely in between his ear and shoulder so he could wrap his arms around himself as another shiver wracked his body. "Think I'm coming down with something," he said. "Is Mia around? I could use a ride home. I don't want to use the bus, I might fall asleep and wake up in Kyoto." 

"Where are you?" Ryo asked. Rowen gave him the address, and Ryo promised to be there as soon as possible. Rowen hung up and leaned his aching head against the cool glass wall of the booth. Despite himself, he found himself dozing off.

His dreams were formless and strange. When he opened his eyes, he saw someone looking back at him from the other side of the glass, sharp cheekbones and empty staring eyes. He flinched back, and the image disappeared.

There was a knock on the glass. Rowen jerked his head around to see Ryo waving at him in the twilight. Mia's car was parked at the curb, but there was no sign of Mia herself. Frowning, Rowen opened the door and said, "Did _you_ drive?"

"Yeah," Ryo said. "Mia took the train to Nagoya for that conference this morning, remember?"

Rowen rubbed his forehead. He'd forgotten, actually. "But you don't have a license," he protested, strangely bothered by this.

Ryo shrugged. "Sage did it all the time when we were fighting the Dynasty," he said.

"That was different," Rowen said. "There was no one on the road for him to crash into. And Sage _knows how to drive_."

Ryo shrugged again. "It's not that difficult," he said, and held out a hand. "C'mon. You don't want to be stuck here all evening, do you?"

Rowen hesitated, but Ryo was right; the bus only came every half hour in the evenings, and at this point he wouldn't get home for ages. The drive would take twenty minutes. "Fine," he groused, "but if we die I'm blaming you."

"That's fair." Ryo's mouth twitched up. Then he had to grab Rowen under the arm as he stood and swayed, all the blood rushing from his head. "Yeah, okay, I got you," he said, gentler.

"Thanks, Ryo," Rowen said, leaning heavily on Ryo as they made their way towards the car. The world felt vaguely distant and unreal. Traffic passed by on the streets; pedestrians detoured around them, muttering disgust at what they thought was someone hauling their drunk friend home. Rowen didn't have the energy to even begin to feel embarrassed.

Ryo unlocked the car and settled Rowen into the passenger seat; Rowen fumbled at the seat belt with uncoordinated fingers while Ryo got in on the right. He hadn't felt this bad since the last time they'd been in the Nether Realm-- strung out and exhausted from the endless running and fighting; always having to watch out for Ryo, who was terrible at watching out for himself. Tilting his head against the seat back, Rowen turned to look at Ryo, who was turning the key in the ignition and pulling out into the road. There was a deep furrow between his brows, and his hands were tight on the steering wheel. Rowen didn't think it was because he was worried about getting pulled over.

Rowen fell asleep again, or passed out. Time passed; the constant hum of the wheels on the road invaded his dreams. Distantly, he registered them pulling into the driveway of Mia's house, and the car shutting off. Ryo didn't get out right away, though, just leaned over and brushed his hand over Rowen's forehead, pushing his hair out of the way.

Rowen opened his eyes. There was a deep blue light flickering across the inside of the car, casting reflections in Ryo's worried eyes. The sharp pulling _ache_ in the center of his chest was familiar. Lifting a leaden arm, Rowen flipped down the mirror on the back of the sunshade. 

Painted on his forehead in glowing lines was his virtue _Life_. But, he realized after a moment of staring, it was faded-- weak.

"My armor's reacting," he said, startled. He let his arm drop and looked at Ryo. "Is yours?" he asked, even though he couldn't see any sign of it.

But Ryo, frowning, said "Not like yours, but I can feel your armor drawing on mine."

Rowen asked, "Drawing on yours? What do you mean?" 

"It's..." Ryo worried at his lower lip. "It's like it's borrowing strength from me. Or maybe _us_ \-- I think it might be pulling on the others as well. It's not much, I thought it was my imagination most of the day, but it's been getting worse since I picked you up."

 _Borrowing strength._ Because he didn't have enough of his own? That wasn't an encouraging thought. Rowen shivered. "Think this is what you were having that bad feeling about?" 

"It sure looks that way," Ryo said.

"Any idea what it is?"

Ryo grimaced. "I was hoping you'd know."

Rowen shook his head. His brain was moving slow as molasses, and he hated it. "I know it started during the eclipse," he said, and shrugged. "Other than that... I don't know. I can't _think_ , dammit."

Ryo squeezed Rowen's shoulder. "C'mon. We can work on it more inside, alright?"

 

***

 

They were greeted immediately outside the car door by White Blaze, who stuck close by Rowen's side as they made their way slowly back to Mia's house. That same low hum was ringing in his ears; he'd thought it was the car, and then he thought it might be the cicadas, but it didn't lessen as they entered the house-- in fact, it got louder.

Ryo deposited him on the couch and went to fetch a glass of water. White Blaze settled onto the carpet immediately to Rowen's right, tucking himself in between the coffee table. Rowen heard the sink gurgling as it ran. He still felt that ache in the center of his chest, and when he reached up to check, he could still feel the strange cool sensation of the power of his armor's virtue radiating from his forehead. He let his hand drop to curl in White Blaze's coarse fur and closed his eyes, trying to force his brain to work, though it made his head pound. 

So. It had started during the eclipse, when he'd looked at the moon. He'd never felt anything quite like that sudden jolt of searing cold that had overtaken him; the closest he'd come was when they'd been trapped in the towers as Talpa had drawn on them to open the barrier between the worlds. Considering the way his armor was reacting, and Ryo's premonition, Rowen would lay bets on some sort of Dynasty involvement in this. Was it an attack? But by who? Talpa was dead, and the gates were closed-- and though Rowen still didn't entirely trust them, Kayura and the other Warlords had seemed sincere when they'd promised to look after the Nether Realm. He didn't think they'd have let anything get through the gates-- at least, not without warning them first.

Another option was that there was just something wrong with his armor. But nothing had happened that he could recall that could have caused that, and Ryo wasn't having any problems, so it didn't seem likely.

Ryo came back bearing the glass of water. He had to hop over White Blaze to get to the couch, somehow managing with his natural grace not to spill any. Rowen took the glass but didn't drink, just held it between his palms, feeling the condensation slippery against his skin. "It's Dynasty. It has to be, right?" he asked.

Ryo settled into the couch, black hair falling in strands across his face. "That's what I was thinking." He looked angry, but also lost. Like he wanted to hit something and didn't know what to do when there wasn't anything _to_ hit. Ryo had always been best at dealing with problems when there was a physical solution in front of him. Rowen remembered the arguments they'd had while trying to decide whether to go into the Nether Realm after the others had been kidnapped, even knowing it was a trap; remembered how frustrated Ryo had gotten. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything he could hit here.

But, haltingly, Ryo continued, "When the mortal world and the Nether World were converging in our last battle it was the eclipse that was the connection point. Maybe all eclipses weaken the barrier a little bit. Do you think something could have gotten through from the Nether World?"

Rowen's eyes widened. "And, what, attached itself to me? _Possessed_ me? That... could be it," he said, brain working furiously. It would explain why he was being drained of energy. Aside from Kayura and the Warlords, who had originally been human, the creatures of the Netherworld were creatures more of energy and magic than flesh; with the gates closed between the worlds, they would be cut off from their normal source of power, and would be forced to seek new ones. The five armors were the strongest source at least within Japan, and probably the world. They would light up in the mystical landscape like a lantern. "But what _is_ it?"

The humming in his ears seemed to redouble in volume. He shook his head, but it wouldn't go away. The world spun and swayed around him. He grabbed for the back of the couch to steady himself; Ryo caught the water glass before he could drop it. White Blaze stood and growled softly in his throat, staring directly at Rowen.  

"Rowen?" Ryo said, peering worriedly at him.

Where had he heard humming like that before? And something more than humming-- a high whistling, like a flute. Rowen closed his eyes, biting his lip so hard he tasted blood. It seemed to clear his head a little bit, and with it memory came rushing back. He knew what it was now. "It's a nether spirit," he managed, and then had to whimper, pressing his hands to his head, which felt like it was about to split apart.

A warm hand gripped the back of his neck. The smell of smoke and hot metal permeated the air. With it came a rush of power, which sank into the bottomless well in the middle of his chest, sating it temporarily. Rowen gasped a deep steadying breath, and looked up to see Ryo leaning over him, blue eyes worried. His armor's virtue burned in the middle of his forehead, and a faint red halo outlined his body in the shape of his armor, insubstantial. Behind him glowed three flickers of light in orange, green and light blue.

The flow of power continued for a minute, and then Ryo fell backwards gracelessly, catching himself on the arm of the couch. His virtue flickered and then faded once more into invisibility, as did the armor.

"What the hell was that?" Rowen asked, straightening. He felt... better, actually; better at least than he had since this morning. More substantial. And the humming had quieted until it was almost inaudible once more.

Ryo was breathing heavily, almost panting. He blinked when Rowen spoke, and ran a hand over his face, as if coming back to himself. "You were running out of energy. So I gave you some," he explained. 

"What? How?" Rowen asked. And then belatedly he tacked on, "Thank you."

Ryo shrugged. "I dunno. It's the same thing you do when you give me your armor's power so I can form the White Armor. I just... reversed it."

Rowen hadn't been aware that they could do that when they weren't actually wearing their armor. But then Ryo had always been the one among them most in tune with his armor. Rowen rubbed his chest, where the sharp ache still resided, though it had [lessened] significantly. "It helped, but I don't think it's a permanent solution," he said thoughtfully. "It's still draining me. It's going to get bad again, and probably soon." The amount of power he'd been given was nowhere near the amount of power he'd lost already.  

Ryo nodded. "We need to get the nether spirit out of you to stop it."

"If you've got any ideas, I'm all ears," Rowen said.

Abruptly, the phone in the kitchen began to ring. Rowen and Ryo both jumped, startled, then looked guiltily at each other. Ryo was the first to start laughing, and then Rowen joined in. "We sure are jumpy," Rowen said.

"I'll get it," Ryo said. "It's probably the guys. I had to borrow some power from them, too." He unfolded himself from the couch, and if Rowen had thought him unaffected by the amount of power he'd had to give up, the little wobble as he stood would have been telling.

Ryo picked up the phone. "Yeah?" _It's Sage_ , he mouthed to Rowen, then turned back to the conversation, matter-of-factly saying, "Ah, sorry about that. Rowen's gone and got himself possessed by a nether spirit that’s draining him for energy. I needed to borrow some power." He paused to listen.

Rowen started laughing again. _How is this our life_ , he thought, shaking his head.

Ryo lowered his voice, but Rowen could still hear him. "No, he's not acting any different," he said.

All the amusement drained out of Rowen at once. He hadn't even thought of that. _Could_ it control him? He didn’t think so, but-- frantically he examined himself, trying to see if he felt any different, besides the constant exhaustion. When nothing immediately presented itself, he closed his eyes and settled his hands on his knees, dropping into a light meditation to check deeper.

Like this, he could feel the presence of the nether spirit pressing against him; it felt like a heavy weight, like the scent of rot and corruption invading his senses. He didn't think it was actively trying to control him-- but, barring any sudden maniacal urges to enslave the human world, how were you supposed to know if someone was taking over your mind? Maybe Kayura would know.

\-- _Kayura_. She'd been possessed too, by Badamon, who had finally been driven out by Anubis using the power of the Ancient's staff. A staff which Kayura now wielded. If they could get to her, maybe she would be able to help.

He opened his eyes to see Ryo sitting against the couch in front of him again, having finished his phone call. He'd been under longer than he'd realized.

"What did they have to say?" he asked.

"Sage suggested we try using the Jewel of Life to exorcise it," Ryo said. It was down in the basement, protected by a complex series of enchantments that Sage and Mia had put together. "Its power has protected us before, it might drive out the spirit."

At the thought, Rowen felt a sudden curl of hunger unfurl in his chest, a yearning for the power the Jewel held. It was the clearest Rowen had heard from the nether spirit, and it made a shiver run down his spine. He thought it might be getting stronger. He shook his head sharply. "Bad idea," he said. "The Jewel has too much power, I don't think we should let it get its hands on it."

"Good point." A frown tugged at the corner of Ryo's mouth, and he crossed his arms across his chest, thinking. "I could put on the White armor and we could see if my surekill did anything," he suggested.

Rowen's eyes went wide. "Uhh..."

Face still perfectly innocent, Ryo said, "It worked the last time we ran into nether spirits."

"Yeah, but they weren't possessing me!" Rowen yelped.

Ryo waited another second, then smirked. "Kidding, kidding, I promise."

Rowen punched him in the arm, and Ryo just raised his hands defensively, laughing. "Alright! I'm sorry."

"You’re a dick."

"I don't see you coming up with any better ideas."

Rowen sobered. "Actually... I think Kayura could do it with the Ancient's staff, but we would have to get to her first. Which means going into the Nether World. And the gates are closed."

Ryo had this particular expression he got when he was determined; his brows furrowed and his eyes went sharp and focused. "So," he said, "then we'll just have to open them."

 

***

 

The trains didn't run as often this late at night, so it was three hours later when Kento, Cye and Sage met them in downtown Shinjuku. Sage had suggested they try the same spot a gate had appeared during Talpa's invasion, since it was likely the barrier between the worlds would be weaker there. Ryo drove again, Rowen resigned to the illegality. He napped off and on as they waited, leaning against Ryo's shoulder in the car parked by the side of the road. It seemed to help a little, and for once he didn't dream.

Ryo spotted the others first and shook Rowen awake. They spilled out of the car, Rowen keeping a hand on the door to keep himself steady.

"Rowen!" Kento was the first to reach them, and to Rowen's surprise he pulled him into a quick back-slapping hug. Rowen could have sworn he felt a little spark of energy transfer between them-- almost like his own armor had drawn it-- but it might have been his imagination. "How're you feeling?" he asked when he released Rowen.

"Like I've got a parasitic nether spirit sapping all my energy?" Rowen smiled wanly. 

Cye was next, squeezing his arm. "Can't leave you alone for a minute, can we?"

Sage just nodded at him, eyes distant. Rowen realized why when he said, "I can just see it, I think. It's hovering over you, almost like a double exposure." 

"Creepy." Rowen shivered, rubbing his arms. 

"We don't have a lot of time to waste," Ryo said. "We need to open the gates. You all brought your armor orbs with you?" 

General nods of confirmation all around, as the others pulled theirs out, green, orange and light blue. Reluctantly, Rowen took his own out of his pocket, feeling the power humming between his fingers. He didn't know what effect putting on his armor was going to have with the spirit overshadowing him, and wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"We're sure this is going to work?" he asked. Talpa had been the one to open the gates every time before; they had never done it on their own. It would require a lot of power, too. Power that Rowen wasn't certain he could afford to lose.

"It should," Sage answered. "Can't you feel the border here? It's been opened twice; it's weakened. It shouldn't be too hard to punch through."

Rowen blew out a breath. He thought he knew what Sage was talking about; it wasn’t anything specific, just a feeling that the area they were standing in was somehow _thin_. "If you say so," he said. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cye asked, sympathetic. "I know you both didn't have the best time in the Nether World last time. I can't imagine you want to go back. We can always try the Jewel of Life first, see if it works."

Rowen's hand rose without conscious thought to clench in the fabric of his shirt over his heart. The rush of longing was almost overwhelming this time.

_Yes. Take it._

Rowen jerked in shock. Had that voice come from the nether spirit? "No," he said, and only realized he had spoken aloud when he saw the others reacting. "I mean, I think trying to reach Kayura is a better idea," he amended quickly, and looked to Ryo. "Hey, no point in putting it off any further, right? Let's do this."

Ryo nodded, and and held up his orb. His subarmor appeared around him in a flash of light. "You got it. Armor of Wildfire... Dao Jin!"

"Armor of Halo!"

"Armor of Torrent!"

"Armor of Hardrock!"

Rowen took a deep breath, orb clutched between sweaty fingers. "Armor of Strata!"

Power swirled; his armor coalesced around him in a flurry of bells and cherry blossoms. Rowen stepped forward and nearly staggered. The armor was heavy and cumbersome around him in a way very different from normal. He hoped Kayura and the other Warlords had kept their promise to keep the Nether World under control; he would have a hard time fighting anything like this.

He looked around; the others were arrayed around him in their armor, bright colors and shining metal reflecting the neon city lights. Ryo nodded, indicating they were ready.

As one, they began to run in a circle around the area marking the boundary between the worlds. Rowen felt power building and building, and helped direct it at the weak spot. A hazy image of the gate appeared between them, like a mirage, rising far above their heads and disappearing into the night sky. It flickered, then gained solidity as the power between them grew to a crescendo. At that precise moment, Kento broke forward and set his shoulders against the door, pushing with all of his great strength. Cye joined him on the other side. The gate resisted for one long, tense minute-- then creaked open a few crucial feet.

"Go!" Kento yelped. Rowen stepped forward, then hesitated. They hadn't talked about this-- about who would go. Kento and Cye were busy holding the doors open. He turned to Sage, but Sage was tense with concentration, and Rowen could feel the power he was pouring into keeping the door present and in their world. The Nether World was a large place, and just in case they couldn't find Kayura, they would need to keep it open from this end to ensure they could make it back.

So that left him and Ryo. Ryo met his eyes, a crooked smile pulling at his lips. "Looks like it's just you and me again," he said, and then darted forward, disappearing between the doors. White Blaze slipped through behind him.

Rowen followed. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, he felt a sudden surge of resistance, so strong he actually jerked in place. The nether spirit had apparently just realized where they were headed.

 _Piss off,_ he told it, and stepped through.

 

***

 

Rowen awoke. There was no lake of blooming lilies this time, no nether spirits to greet them-- well, except for the one Rowen carried. Only a grassy field, empty but for the gate in the near distance, and Ryo leaning over him with a worried expression. "I'm up, I'm up," Rowen said, and put actions to words, levering himself into a sitting position.

"How do you feel?" Ryo asked, settling back on his haunches.

Rowen took stock, and was surprised to discover the answer. "Not too bad, actually." He got to his feet, stretching. He was in his subarmor, his full armor having disappeared somewhere in the transit. It felt normal, like it fit him again. He half-hoped the spirit might have left him-- but no, he could feel it still lurking there in the back of his mind. Maybe now that they were back in its home dimension, it no longer needed to draw so strongly on his armor's energy to survive. But more than that, he almost got the impression it was-- hiding? Biding its time? He wasn’t sure which.

He looked around to see where they had ended up. Mountains to the west; endless plains to the east, and somewhere off to the north there was a lake sparkling in the light of the stars. The geography of the Nether World had never seemed terribly sensible to Rowen-- or entirely _fixed_ , for that matter-- and he didn't recognize the area they had ended up in, but he thought the mountains in the distance looked familiar. Talpa's castle had been near mountains like those. Rowen glanced over to see Ryo looking in the same direction. "Think we should try there?" he asked. "There's no guarantee Kayura will have stayed near the castle. In fact, I kind of doubt she did. That place can't hold too many good memories for her." 

"No, you're probably right, but we can't just head off in any random direction either. Maybe there will be someone there who knows where she's gone." Ryo shaded his eyes, staring into the distance.

"One of the Warlords, maybe." Rowen shrugged. "It's as good an option as any."

They settled onto White Blaze's back, who took off at a ground-eating lope towards the mountains. Rowen kept his eyes open, half expecting a pack of Dynasty soldiers to jump out at them at any moment, but the Nether World was weirdly peaceful-- and beautiful, really, without Talpa's dark miasma hovering over everything, and covering up the endless shining stars overhead. Rowen felt himself relaxing as time passed and nothing leapt out to attack them.

The mountains drew closer faster than Rowen had expected, and soon the city came into view, endless walls arrayed in maze-like configurations around the castle that loomed over it all. The towers where they had been trapped were still half-destroyed; no one had made any efforts to repair them. Rowen felt his heart start to speed up. He and Ryo had spent so much time there, interminable hours on the run from all Talpa's forces. Fighting, hiding, trading watch as they caught brief snatches of sleep between battles, constantly on the lookout for the next disaster. Rowen still had no idea how they'd managed it, desperately outnumbered and overpowered as they had been, much less _won_ ; by all rights, they should be dead right now.

He was so caught up in his memories of that time that he didn't even notice the distant sounds of battle until Ryo called White Blaze to an abrupt halt and held up his hand, hissing "Listen."

In the sudden quiet, the sounds came through much clearer. Rowen heard shouting voices and metal clashing against metal. For a moment it was so close to his memories that he thought he might be dreaming.

Then, very faintly-- almost more through his armor than through his ears-- Rowen heard the cry, _"Web of Deception!"_

A small section of the city in the distance exploded. He could see fine white threads spinning out over the walls, and knew that some enemy had just been caught, immobile, and left to their enemy’s mercy.

"Dais," he said, shocked.

"And Sekhmet, too," Ryo said, pointing out an area of the city just next to the castle that was enveloped in a faint green mist. The walls there were starting to melt as the poison took effect. "Who do you think they're fighting?"

"I have no idea," Rowen said. "But something tells me we ought to find out."

They started back towards the city then, at a more cautious pace this time, keeping a weather eye out for any enemies. They passed the outer walls, and the sounds of combat grew louder. And it wasn't just one or two people fighting, but a large battle.

They turned a corner and came face-to-face with a Dynasty soldier running at them with its spear extended. Rowen and Ryo jumped off White Blaze and took fighting stances, but to their shock the soldier diverted around them without a glance. It vanished into a side corridor, and soon they could hear the sounds of fighting coming from that direction as well.

Without having to ask, Ryo and Rowen took off at a run after it. They emerged into a large courtyard filled with dozens of Dynasty soldiers, all battling a single nether spirit.  

Despite how outnumbered it was, the nether spirit was clearly winning the fight. It floated in a ball of energy in the middle of the courtyard, red lightning crackling around it. As each Dynasty soldier approached, lightning would lash out. Some soldiers the lightning would just tear through, black smoke erupting into the air and empty armor clattering to the ground. But with others the lightning seemed to seep into the empty armor; the soldier's eyes would start glowing red, and it would turn to attack its other soldiers. Soon there was quite a brawl going. Occasionally a soldier would get a blow through to the nether spirit itself, but it was rare, and they didn't seem to hurt the spirit very much.

"Should we be helping?" Ryo asked, watching this go on for a minute.

"Which _side_?" Rowen asked.

"Good point."

At that moment, a voice from the corridor opposite shouted, _"Black Lightning Slash!"_

Dark energy rained down upon the nether spirit. The ball of energy surrounding it thickened as it fended off the attack, and lightning spun out to crackle over a figure hidden in the shadows. Rowen heard a shout of pain.

"That was Cale," he said.

Ryo stepped forward, armor appearing around him in a flash of light and ephemeral cherry blossoms. He pulled his swords and attached them together at the base. "Guess we know which side we're on," he said, and darted forward, shouting, _"Flare Up Now!"_

A blade of white fire cut through the energy barrier around the nether spirit. The nether spirit turned, and Rowen could see the empty sockets of its eyes widen as the power descended towards it. It vanished in the blazing light.

Ryo stopped, panting, as the light from his surekill dissipated, leaving behind a smoking crater in the ground. There was no sign of the nether spirit anywhere. The lightning faded from the possessed soldiers, and they lowered their weapons.

Cale stepped out of the corridor opposite into the light. He was wearing his armor, sword in hand, and he looked exhausted, dirt and bruises decorating his exposed skin. "Ronins?" he asked, shocked to see them. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," Ryo answered. "What's going on here? Who are you fighting? It's not Talpa, is it?"

Cale approached, sheathing his sword. As he walked, the Dynasty soldiers turned to follow his passage. Cale waved a dismissive hand at them. "Go assist Kayura and the others," he said, and as one they took off down one of the endless corridors, in the direction Rowen and Ryo had seen the poison cloud earlier.

"No, Talpa is still dead," Cale said, stopping a few feet away. Rowen let out a silent sigh of relief, and he saw Ryo's shoulders relax fractionally. "We have been fighting with the remnants of Talpa's nether spirits. When Talpa was defeated, and Badamon destroyed, all control over them was lost, and they dispersed into the far places of the Nether World where evil things still linger. There they have been gathering their strength, and two weeks ago they made a bid for control of the city. We have been fighting them since. Although we are winning, it has been a long and hard battle."

Rowen and Ryo exchanged a glance. "Did you happen to lose a nether spirit recently?" Ryo asked.  

“Lose?” Cale asked. 

“As in gone, not destroyed,” Rowen elaborated. “Vanished. Gone AWOL, even.” 

Cale frowned. "As a matter of fact, there was a battle yesterday, and when it was over there was no trace of the spirit, though we knew it had not been destroyed. We intended to follow up on it, but we have been... distracted."

Rowen sighed, and pasted on a cheerful smile. "Yeah, so we think it crossed over to the mortal world during the eclipse yesterday. Good news, though: We found it for you! We even brought it back and everything."

Cale said skeptically, "Oh? And what's the bad news?"

Rowen waved his hand. "I seem to be possessed."

Cale blinked, drawing back a little. "I see." He spent a moment looking Rowen over. “How did you manage _that_?”

Rowen shrugged. “Was out during the eclipse at the wrong moment, I guess. We think it was attracted to the energy of the armor.”

Vaguely incredulous, Cale said, “You _looked_ at an eclipse?”

“Well, yeah.” Rowen cocked an eyebrow, inviting explanation. 

“That’s never a good idea, even when there aren’t wayward nether spirits trying to cross between the realms.” Cale shook his head, as if this should have been obvious.

“Thanks... I’ll keep that in mind, I guess,” Rowen said, and exchanged a baffled look with Ryo.

Cale sighed. "Well. I suppose you’d like me to take you to Lady Kayura, then."

"We'd appreciate that," Ryo said. 

"This way." Cale turned and led them to the corridor he'd arrived from, vanishing into the shadows. Rowen, Ryo and White Blaze followed.

 

***

 

An immediate problem arose as they made their way deeper into the city: the nether spirits had amassed their forces and were attacking the castle. That was where Kayura was: defending the throne room, Cale told them. 

"Why the castle?" Rowen asked him, a little breathless, as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Then he had to wait for an answer as a possessed Dynasty soldier lunged at him. He flipped up over its shoulder to place a kick in its back, sending it crashing to the ground far below. Reddish black smoke wafted into the air. Rowen landed next to Ryo, wild-eyed. "This is giving me flashbacks!"

"I know." Ryo spun his swords and stabbed another possessed soldier through the stomach. There was no sign of the nether spirit that was controlling it nearby. "At least it’s not just us this time?" he tried.

As one they looked at Cale, who was slicing through an entire row of soldiers with his great sword, black energy crackling around him. "He would have been useful," Rowen said admiringly.

Cale sheathed his sword and approached them. "Talpa kept much of his power sealed in the throne room," he explained, ignoring their commentary, though Rowen knew by the little smirk that played briefly around his lips that he had heard them. "Some of it remains, permeated into the very walls of the throne room itself, even though Talpa is gone. They appear to be seeking it."

"They are awfully fond of power, aren't they," Rowen said, listening for the reaction of his own nether spirit. But either it wasn't listening, or it had grown better at hiding its responses, because there was nothing he could sense.

"Yes. They require it to survive. While Talpa was alive, they fed off his power, but now they have to seek it elsewhere." 

"That explains why it went straight for me," Rowen said. Then they came upon another knot of soldiers, and conversation stalled as they took care of them. 

Rowen was panting and exhausted by the time they arrived in sight of the castle itself; Cale looked like he would kill for a nap and a decent meal, and even Ryo was looking worn out. From here Rowen could see the main body of nether spirits, twelve total, hovering in a circle in front of the castle, red energy lighting up the sky around them. Low humming echoed over the scene. A huge crowd of Dynasty soldiers, both possessed and not, battled in the open yard below. There was a golden shield of light protecting the top floor of the castle where the throne room was-- Rowen recognized the power of the Ancients. Kayura's doing. The woman herself was nowhere to be seen.

"How do we get through?" Ryo asked. Rowen examined the avenues of ingress, but every potential path was blocked by the sheer numbers of fighters. 

"I'm not sure it matters," he said grimly. "There's no clear way, it's all blocked."

Ryo smiled. "So, straight through it is."

"That always was your favorite strategy." Rowen felt the corner of his mouth pull up despite himself.

So far, even though Ryo and Cale were both in their full armor, Rowen had been fighting in his subarmor; saving his full armor-- why, he didn't even know. But now seemed like the appropriate time to put it back on, so he took a deep breath, shoving down an unnamed reluctance. "Armor of Strata... Dao Jin!"

Bells chimed; cherry blossoms swirled. His armor began to coalesce around him. And as it did, he felt the nether spirit, quiet for so long, _shift_ inside of him. It grabbed onto the power of his transformation and _pulled_.

Rowen staggered and fell to his knees, curling around the pain in his chest. His armor flashed in and out of existence. He tried to dismiss it, but the nether spirit's hold was too strong, and he couldn't force it out. "Ryo," he croaked. 

But Ryo wasn't paying attention-- instead he and Cale were looking out at the battlefield, where every single one of the other nether spirits had just turned to look directly at them.

"Aw, crap."

 

***

 

With an eerie humming that echoed across the courtyard between them, the group of nether spirits decamped from their position in front of the tower and as one began to float closer. Rowen could feel the spirit inside him reaching for them even as it drained the energy of his transformation. So this was why it had been so quiet since returning to the nether world-- it had been biding its time, waiting for an opportunity like this.

"Rowen." Ryo dropped to his knees beside Rowen. "What's happening?"

Rowen shook his head, dizzy at the rate the spirit was drawing power. He was having trouble focusing. "I think it's pulling my armor's strength to try and feed them," he managed. "It's-- I'm not..." he fell back with a thump into a seated position, hands pressed into the ground on either side to keep himself upright.  

"We cannot allow them to access your armor's energy like this," Cale said urgently. "They will be able to--"

Then the grouped nether spirits settled into a circle overhead, and Rowen lost the rest of what Cale was saying as the connection snapped into place like a circuit closing. All the power his spirit had accumulated began to pour from him, so much so that it was actually visible as a line of blue fire stretching across the space between them. Red lightning sprung up from the spirits into a barrier around them, blocking out the sky overhead.

Ryo drew his swords and snapped the ends together, crying, _"Flare Up Now!"_ The nether spirits' humming grew louder, Rowen felt the pull grow stronger, and Ryo’s fire splashed harmlessly against the energy surrounding the nether spirits.

Cale snapped out _"Black Lightning Slash!",_ and black fire twined around Ryo's, but even combined their attack fared no better. Rowen felt the world closing down around him, darkness encroaching on all sides. He couldn't support himself anymore. He fell back, gasping in pain as his head struck wood. His armor was the merest echo of light around him, intangible.

Ryo dropped to his knees next to Rowen, worry written all over his face. "What's going to happen to him?" he asked, looking back and forth between Rowen and Cale.

"If this continues, he'll be drained down to nothing," Cale said grimly. He stood well back from the two of them, and looked like he wanted to pull Ryo back, too. 

Ryo had on that same determined expression, and Rowen knew, just _knew_ , he was about to do something stupid. "Don't," he croaked, but Ryo was reaching for him, saying, "I'm not going to let you die."

Cale's eyes went wide and he shouted "No!" but it was too late, Ryo's hand had settled on his shoulder. And then it was like a circuit had been closed. Fresh energy began pouring into him, was pulled _through_ him-- not just Ryo's, either, but Kento's and Sage's and Cye's, through the connection they all shared through the armor, and then--

\--then Cale's too, and Sekhmet's, and Dais's, because they too were connected after all, all of their armor had come from Talpa, and _this_ was what Cale had meant-- 

\--and Rowen lost track of time, feeling the power roar through him, use him as a conduit, and he didn't know when it would end, how it _could_ end without him dying--

\--and then abruptly a woman's voice cut through the noise, saying, "What _are_ you idiots doing?"

The barrier around the nether spirits parted like water to let Kayura in. The Ancient's staff chimed in her hand as she strode forward. She was wearing her robes, not her armor. She came to a stop a few feet away from Rowen and Ryo, and spent a very long minute examining them, the power connecting them, and the nether spirits overhead.

"Hmm," she said, in a tone that said she had come upon a mildly difficult problem, but knew how to fix it. "Well, I _have_ been looking for a way to get to all the nether spirits at once, and I suppose that's one way of doing it. I do apologize, Rowen. This isn't going to be terribly comfortable."

Then she lowered her staff, already starting to glow, and tapped it gently against his chest.

The Ancient's energy blew through him like a hurricane, following the path the nether spirit had already opened and twining gold around the line of blue fire that stretched from him to the other twelve. The red lightning surrounding them flashed golden. The humming faded, replaced by the ringing sound of the Ancient's staff echoing off the surrounding buildings.

Then, like a soap bubble popping, the barrier disappeared. Immediately, Ryo raised his swords and fire leapt up as he called on his surekill. From each side, Cale, Dais and Sekhmet called out their attacks. The joined power converged on the knot of nether spirits, and light flared so bright that Rowen had to turn his face away.

Then abruptly the flow of energy ceased. Rowen lay there trembling, watching the sparkling stars in the endless sky above. He could feel the tattered remnants of the nether spirit clutching at the back of his mind, hoping to go unnoticed.

Kayura leaned over him. "You're still hanging in there, are you?" she asked rhetorically, and he knew she was speaking to the nether spirit, not him. She struck her staff against the ground, and one last flare of power shot out. Rowen's vision flashed white.

The last thing he heard as consciousness faded was the sound of Ryo repeating his name.

 

***

 

Rowen woke up to the quiet sounds of voices coming from the next room over. He struggled to open his eyes, feeling weak as a kitten but clean somehow.

He was lying on a futon with a duvet pulled up to his shoulders that was embroidered with tiny, geometric stars. Soft lantern light filtered through the rice paper room dividers. One of the doors at the end of the room was cracked open a few inches, and he could see the shadows of several people on the other side. It was a room that could have been pulled from anywhere in Japan, but something about the air and the quality of the light told him he was still in the Nether World.

Testing, he pushed himself up a few inches, and when that didn’t hurt too much, slid the duvet off and swung his legs over the side. There he had to pause, muscles aching and weak, and take some deep breaths. His subarmor had disappeared at some point while he’d been out and someone had dressed him in a dark blue yukata. He spent a moment wondering where exactly one bought clothes in the Nether World.

He didn’t think he’d made very much noise getting up but barely half a second later the shoji screen slid open and Ryo poked his head through. “Rowen!” he exclaimed. “You’re up! Feeling better?”

Overall, he realized, he was. There was no trace of the nether spirit in his head any longer. “Yeah, actually. Nobody up here now but me and the birds,” he said, tapping his forehead with a crooked smile. “Everything going alright?”

The shoji slid open the rest of the way. On the other side he could see Kayura, Cale, Dais and Sekhmet gathered around a low table. White Blaze was draped over the tatami off to the side. The balcony at the other end of the room had been thrown wide and the Nether World’s six moons were hanging low and full in the sky. On the table were set a plate piled high with dango and sweet potato, a bowl of chestnuts and a ceramic sake set. He nodded politely to the other Warlords. They all looked just as exhausted as Cale, though they had apparently had time to change and wash up since the battle. 

Kayura stood from her place at the table. “Yes. Thanks to you both, all the remaining nether spirits have been cleansed from this world.” She knelt next beside the futon and put a hand under his chin, tipping his head up to look her in the eyes. Her stare was uncomfortably piercing. After a moment, she let go, seemingly satisfied. “The weakness will pass soon enough.”

“I could have used a little more warning on what you were planning to do,” he said, rubbing his chest, which was going to bruise.

“Oh dear, I do apologize for saving your life,” Kayura said, and her expression was so perfectly innocent that for a moment Rowen was trapped, wondering if she really meant it.

“Lady Kayura, stop teasing him,” Dais said, not lifting his eyes from his sake cup. Sekhmet took the bowl of chestnuts and passed it around the table; Ryo and Cale each took one.  

“But it’s so _easy_ ,” Kayura smirked, and settled into her place at the table, robes draping around her.  

Rowen shifted to the edge of the futon, trying to get his feet under him. Ryo was at his side instantly, helping him up and over to the table. Dais and Sekhmet scooted over, making room for him next to Ryo. He sank down, already exhausted from the short trip. “You really haven’t changed very much, have you?”

Her smile deepened. “No, I suppose not.”

“Speaking of not telling people things, why didn’t any of you tell us you were having problems with the nether spirits?” Ryo asked, passing Rowen the plate of dango. Rowen examined them carefully, but they looked normal. “We could have helped.”

Kayura and the Warlords exchanged uncomfortable glances. “I suppose we didn’t want to trouble you,” Kayura said after a moment.

“We’ve caused you enough problems already,” Sekhmet put in.  

“In the end, you not wanting to cause us problems just ended up causing us _more_ problems, though,” Rowen pointed out, taking a bite out of the dango. It was fresh and chewy. He realized as it hit his stomach that he was desperately starving, and finished that one in short order and devoured three more almost whole. 

“So let us know next time, alright?” Ryo said. “We don’t mind coming to visit now that Talpa is gone.” He grabbed another chestnut and began to peel it with his blunt nails. “Actually, if you keep feeding us like this, you might not be able to keep Kento away.”  

Kayura smiled again, and nodded. “Then it’s a good thing we have more food, because I believe your friends should be arriving soon.”

Rowen winced. They were probably worried sick, having felt all that power being drawn from them and not having any idea what had happened afterwards, and would be more than a little irritated to show up ready for battle and find it already over. “Better make it a _lot_ more food,” he said. 

“Done.” Kayura waved a hand at the Dynasty Warrior standing in the corner, and it tromped off. She waited a beat, then held out a clean cup and the bottle. “Sake?”

Rowen sighed. “Sure. Thanks,” he said. Then he and Ryo settled in to wait for their friends to arrive.

Outside the balcony, the moons of the Nether World continued to rise in the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> A couple random notes:
> 
> Moon-viewing (tsukimi) is a traditional autumn holiday in Japan in which you get together with friends and family during the full-moon to eat and drink. Traditional foods include tsukimi-dango, chestnuts and sweet potato. 
> 
> The legal driving age in Japan is 18. Apparently there was a minor kerfuffle there when the original series came out and showed Sage driving Mia's car, since he was underage. So, that was my tiny call-back to that!


End file.
